Tuesday, August 31, 2010

SUP-Surfing Hurricane Danielle Groundswell

Michael's Big-Wave Takeoff

Last Sunday, the stars aligned. An offshore hurricane, full moon, and high pressure bringing warm, off-shore winds and sunny skies. Hurricane Danielle sent us shoulder to well overhead groundswell as it passed 1000 miles to our southeast. My cameras were charged and ready as I grabbed ride after glorious ride with Peter, Jon, Michael, and Steve in the biggest waves on Sunday. You'll find photos in this Hurricane Danielle Groundswell photoset, as well as shots from previous weeks in the Summer of SUP - 2010 photoset; handheld & paddlecam video from the weekend is compiled in this youtube clip:



Color Spray

Friday, August 13, 2010

Long Lefts at Tiana

GoPro HD Hero Paddlecam and Olympus 8010 handheld footage of myself and the crew catching waist to head-high waves on the outer bar at Tiana Beach last Sunday, which included many looong lefts:


and a few fun rights as well:

Sidewave

I left one wave out of the footage, which was probably the most beautiful, and most threatening, of the day. On one outbound paddle back through the channel, a giant set reared its head. Excited, I pulled out the handheld Olympus and started shooting. Joe Natalie scored a big ride, while an outbound Wolf dove for cover under 6' of whitewater. I was not spared as the shoulder reached right into the channel, knocking me off my SUP-photographer's perch. As I scrambled to my board, hoots and shouts of glee pulled my camera's lens to the next wave. There, in all its powerful glory, loomed a head-high, glassy-clean wave with a SUP surfer having the time of their life. All I could think about was how great would this footage be, and steadied the camera to capture the moment.


It's best in life to not make assumptions, especially if you're a surf photographer. Even though a rider may seem to be looking right at you, and even though this rider has surfed past you on several waves already, when you're down in the water and they're on a big wave, it's best to expect the worst -- that they can't see at all, and might run you over. We were lucky to get this lesson for free - both boards and bodies were unharmed. But life is also about learning from mistakes, making adjustments and trying it all over again. May we all return to the waves, be more aware and respectful of other riders, and when in doubt, shout it out!

Monday, August 09, 2010

Emerald Green Waves in Hampton Bays

Happy Wave

The magic arrived August 7th.


Check out these and other SUP photos from the growing Summer of SUP - 2010 Flickr photoset.

Clear Green Right

Also, check out the Peconic Puffin's report, which adds even more color to the day: Stand Up Surfing Extravaganza

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Speed Runs at North Race

Scott, the Wolf and I caught some perfectly aligned speed runs off the northern sandbar of Robins Island the other day.

Scott the Ripper

Check out the full photoset here: New Suffolk Flatwater (5 photos, 1 video)


If you have trouble with that video, try the YouTube version, though I wish youtube would default to 480p.
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